INSECT POLLINATORS DIVERSITY IN AVOCADO ORCHARD DURING FLOWERING PERIOD IN LUSHOTO DISTRICT TANZANIA

Insect pollinator diversity is key to ensuring adequate fruit yields within avocado orchards. Bee and non-bee insect species in avocado growing areas worldwide, has been considered as potential pollinators. Despite of this information in Tanzania there has been little research into which pollinator insect species diversity visit avocado flowers during flowering season. The study was conducted at Jaegetal avocado orchard from 450 trees of Hass variety planted at spacing of 10m x 10m. Sample size was 10 trees were used to generate pollinator’s population estimates. The orchard is located at S04˚47ʹ41.7ʹʹ and E038˚13ʹ11.8ʹʹ. Sweep net, forceps and aspirator were used to estimate pollinator’s diversity during avocado production season 2018/19. The results showed a total of 115 individuals were sampled and honey bees were more abundant flower visitors representing 60% of all insects recorded. The second species observed included the stingless bee representing (26%), followed by tachnid fly (6%) and hoverfly (6%). The least species in abundance was ants (1%) and wasps (1%). Mean population comparison there was significant differences P< 0.005.Understanding pollinators species diversity interaction between honey bee and other flower visitor’s abundances within and outside orchards could assist in improving pollination recommendations in avocado growing areas.

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Keragaman Serangga di Pola Pertanaman Tumpang Sari Kedelai-Titonia

Agrosains: Jurnal Penelitian Agronomi ◽

10.20961/agsjpa.v23i1.47920 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

pp. 27

Author(s):

Putri Mustika Sari ◽

Adriansyah Yoesoep ◽

Lisdayani Lisdayani

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Direct Observation ◽

Crop Production ◽

Diversity Index ◽

Insect Species ◽

Insect Diversity ◽

Wide Range ◽

Index Value ◽

Piezodorus Guildinii ◽

Sweep Net

Plants that have a wide range of insect presence, decreased insect diversity and abundance were so few consequenced because the absence of one insect species can be replaced by the presence of another. The bad consequences that occur are the types of plants that have specific insect specificities because the absence of these insects will cause the failure of plant pollination and will directly cause a decrease in crop production. This study aimed to determine the diversity of insect species that come in the soybean-tithonia intercropping. The method was used direct observation in tithonia-soybean intercropping, took insects using a sweep net in the morning. The results showed that there were 15 types of insects identified, namely Epilachna sp.; Coccinella sexmaculata; Coccinella transveralis; Verania lineata; Ropalidia fasciata; Priocnemis sp.; Naupactus leucoloma; Piezodorus guildinii; Bemicia tabaci; Agromyza phaseoli; Spodoptera sp.; Nezara viridula; Paederus fusipes; Hylaeus sp.; and Trigona sp. The range of results of the calculation of the diversity index showed that the five treatments in intercropping plants had the same abundance. So it was needed to calculate the highest diversity index value or maximum H expressed in Ln S. The maximum H value in this study is 2.708, which is a measure of moderate species diversity (1<H’<3).

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Role of honey bee on mustard (Brassica spp.) yield

Journal of Biodiversity Conservation and Bioresource Management ◽

10.3329/jbcbm.v6i1.51328 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 25-30

Author(s):

MS Hossain ◽

JK Paul ◽

MM Rahman ◽

MU Fazlullah ◽

S Sarkar

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Insect Pollinator ◽

Flowering Season ◽

Brassica Spp ◽

Mustard Plant ◽

Bee Foraging ◽

Honey Bee Foraging ◽

The Mean

The study was conducted in the field at Nagarpur, Tangail, Bangladesh, from November 2016 to February 2017 to find out the role of honey bees on mustard yield. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) was the main insect pollinator during mustard flowering season. Mustard seeds of variety Tori-7 were selected for this experiment. Three different treatments were used, viz. control, netting with honey bees and netting without honey bees. Honey bees helped mustard pollination, but decreased the flowering period (6 days) of the mustard plant. Honey bees assisted the pollination of mustard and increased the number of pod per plant (14%) as well as the number of seeds per pod (11%). Honey bees enhanced the pollination of mustard plant, and netting with honey bees increased the mean seed yield (15%) per plant of mustard, however, decreased the period of flowering stage of mustard. Mustard yield was considerably higher in honey bee foraging plots. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2020, 6(1): 25-30

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Effects of Wetland Presence and Upland Land Use on Wild Hymenopteran and Dipteran Pollinators in the Rainwater Basin of Nebraska, USA

Wetlands ◽

10.1007/s13157-019-01244-w ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (5) ◽

pp. 1017-1031

Author(s):

Angela Begosh ◽

Loren M. Smith ◽

Cynthia N. Park ◽

Scott T. Mcmurry ◽

Ted G. Lagrange

Keyword(s):

Growing Season ◽

Buffer Strips ◽

Restored Wetlands ◽

Rainwater Basin ◽

Pollinator Abundance ◽

Insect Pollinator ◽

Insect Pollinators ◽

Pollinator Conservation ◽

Land Condition ◽

Sweep Net

AbstractPollination is an ecosystem service that is in jeopardy globally. Decreasing trends in wild pollinator populations are primarily attributed to habitat loss and degradation. These concerns are especially apparent in the Rainwater Basin of Nebraska, USA where more than 90% of the land has been cultivated and 90% of the wetlands have been lost. We compared hymenopteran and dipteran pollinator abundance, richness, and diversity in 28 wetlands and their adjacent uplands within 3 dominant land-condition types: cropped, restored, and reference state. We used vane traps to capture local pollinator insects and sweep nets to collect insect pollinators on flowers. Vane-trap captures revealed a greater abundance, richness, and diversity of hymenopteran pollinators in uplands as compared to wetlands over the entire growing season in all land-condition types. However, net collections showed that hymenopterans foraged more in wetlands than in uplands, especially in restored wetlands. The exception was September when hymenopterans were captured in uplands more than wetlands while feeding on late season forbs. Dipteran vane-trap and sweep-net captures primarily consisted of hoverflies (Syrphidae). Hoverflies were more abundant in wetlands than uplands. All pollinators used both wetlands and uplands for resources. Thus, insect-pollinator conservation can be enhanced by promoting native forb communities and pollinator habitat through wetland restoration and the planting of buffer strips.

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Diversity and abundance of pollinators in different winter crops at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Campus, Dhaka

Journal of Biodiversity Conservation and Bioresource Management ◽

10.3329/jbcbm.v7i1.57121 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 7 (1) ◽

pp. 33-42

Author(s):

MS Hossain ◽

MM Rahman ◽

ME Hossain ◽

S Sarkar ◽

K Rahman

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Species Diversity ◽

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

University Campus ◽

Oilseed Crops ◽

Black Cumin ◽

Insect Pollinators ◽

Similarity Indices ◽

Winter Crops

The study was conducted at Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University campus to document the diversity and abundance of pollinators of five commonly grown winter crops, viz., mustard, coriander, niger, black cumin and linseed from October 2020 to February 2021. A total number of fifteen species was identified under eleven genera, nine subfamilies, nine families and seven super families. The study revealed that honey bees, halictids, nymphalids, coccinellids, butterflies and dipterans of genera Apis, Halictus, Lasioglossum, Aglais, Coccinella, Pieris, Eurema, Musca, Syrphid and Calliphora belonging to the families Apidae, Halictidae, Nymphalidae, Coccinellidae, Pieridae, Muscidae, Syrphidae and Calliphoridae, respectively were present in the field. The species diversity was high in mustard with 15 species while it was low in linseed (5 species). The honey bees, Apis sp. and sweat bees, Halictus sp. were common pollinators of all five oilseed crops, while the housefly, Musca domestica was specific to mustard. The honey bee, Apis sp. was predominant among all the insect pollinators in five oilseed crops. The Species Richness (SR), Shannon-Weaver index (H’), Community dominance and Question of similarity indices were applied to determine the diversity and abundance of pollinators. J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2021, 7(1): 33-42

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Efficacy of an Eco-Friendly Bloom Thinning Formulation on Mango Trees and Its Olfactory Effect on an Insect Pollinator, Apis mellifera

Horticulturae ◽

10.3390/horticulturae7040062 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 62

Author(s):

Tae-Kwon Son ◽

Md Munir Mostafiz ◽

Hwal-Su Hwang ◽

Nguyen Truong Thạnh ◽

Kyeong-Yeoll Lee

Keyword(s):

Apis Mellifera ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Fruit Size ◽

Fruit Trees ◽

Fruit Weight ◽

Behavioral Changes ◽

Control Treatment ◽

Environmental Concerns ◽

Olfactory Behavior ◽

Insect Pollinator

In various orchard fruit trees, thinning of blossoms and fruits is important to increase fruit size and quality and to promote a new bloom in the following season. Several chemical thinning agents are currently commercially available, but they are inconsistent and produce side effects in crop plants and insect pollinators. Because of environmental concerns, developing alternative eco-friendly bloom thinning agents is necessary. We developed an eco-friendly bloom thinning formulation (BTF) using minerals and extracts of various medicinal plants. Our BTF spray (0.1%, w/v) decreased the number of fruits per tree (46.5%) and fruit yield per tree (81.5%) but increased the fruit weight (196.8%) compared with the control treatment; the spray induced a small number of larger mango fruits in the treated trees. We also investigated the effect of BTF on the olfactory behavior of Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera, Apidae), a major insect pollinator. We analyzed the behavioral changes of adult workers at two different concentrations (0.1% and 1%) of nine different BTF spray components using a Y-tube olfactometer. The behavioral responses of honey bees to nine BTF components showed significant differences. However, honey bees showed no clear attraction or repellent behavior towards the tested BTF components. Our results suggest that the newly developed eco-friendly BTF is practically applicable in mango orchards without interrupting honey bee behavior.

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FERTILITY COMPONENTS IN A FABA BEAN LINE NEAR-ISOGENIC FOR MALE STERILITY

Canadian Journal of Plant Science ◽

10.4141/cjps86-037 ◽

1986 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

pp. 235-239 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

G. DUC ◽

G. G. ROWLAND ◽

J. PICARD

Keyword(s):

Male Sterility ◽

Vicia Faba ◽

Seed Yield ◽

Faba Bean ◽

Yield Components ◽

Male Sterile ◽

Potential Yield ◽

Insect Pollinator ◽

Insect Pollinators ◽

Vicia Faba L

A near-isogenic faba bean (Vicia faba L.) line, segregating in a 1:1 ratio of male-fertile to male-sterile plants, was used to study the importance of insect pollinators on ovule fertilization and yield components of the first five flowering nodes. The fertilization of ovules from open-pollinated plants at the higher insect pollinator site of Dijon, France was 83%, as compared with 50% at the lower insect pollinator activity site of Saskatoon, Canada. No significant differences in total fertilized ovules were found between male-fertile and male-sterile plants at Dijon, but male-fertile plants at Saskatoon had significantly more fertilized ovules than male-sterile plants. Seed production on the first five flowering nodes was significantly greater at Saskatoon. Thus, while insect pollinators are important in determining the potential yield of a faba bean plant, other factors, such as environment, determine the ultimate yield.Key words: Vicia faba, ovule fertilization, seed yield, faba bean, male sterility

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Acttra SWD Bait Formulation Against Drosophila Suzukii and its Compatibility with Berry Pollination by the Honey Bee, Apis Mellifera

Journal of Apicultural Science ◽

10.2478/jas-2021-0019 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 65 (2) ◽

pp. 279-290

Author(s):

Ricardo Alberto Toledo-Hernández ◽

Mónica Pulido-Enríquez ◽

Francisco Landeros-Pedro ◽

Douglas Rodríguez ◽

Daniel Sánchez

Keyword(s):

Honey Bee ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Crop Protection ◽

Spotted Wing Drosophila ◽

Drosophila Suzukii ◽

Control Groups ◽

Complete Coverage ◽

Ecological Benefits ◽

Insect Pollinators ◽

Insect Populations

Abstract Crop protection substances are continuously developed to prevent the decimation of non-target insect populations through insecticide use. The bait formulation Acttra SWD was created to attract the adult spotted-wing drosophila, a generalist pest of berries, and when mixed with insecticide would cause a reduction in the volume of insecticide applied, thus avoiding a complete coverage of crops and resulting in economic and ecological benefits to society. However, Acttra SWD has some compounds, including sugars and fruit odors, that might attract non-target fauna, especially insect pollinators. Therefore this study aimed (1) to investigate if Acttra SWD mixed with the recommended pesticide, i.e. spinosad (Entrust), is attractive to the honey bee, which is extensively used for berry pollination and (2) to evaluate the insecticidal activity of Acttra/Entrust in oral and contact tests on the same species. In all replicates, most foragers rejected feeders that offered Acttra/Entrust, and some switched to Acttra/Entrust-free feeders. Accordingly, mortality caused by this mixture in oral tests was low and did not differ from control, since the majority of bees did not consume the Acttra/Entrust treatment. However, mortality caused by this mixture was higher than in control groups in topical tests. Our results indicate that honey bees will not be attracted to and poisoned by crops sprayed with Acttra/Entrust, but contact with the bait would result in lethal or sub-lethal effects.

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Microhabitats Utilization by Solitary Parasitoids and Predatory Insects as Indicators of Oil Palm Agroecosystem’s Capacity to Support Insect Species Diversity

Sains Malaysiana ◽

10.17576/jsm-2021-5008-02 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 50 (8) ◽

pp. 2153-2166

Author(s):

Ahmad Bukhary A.K. ◽

Ruslan M.Y. ◽

Noor Hisham H. ◽

Muzamil M. ◽

Abu Hassan A. ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Cover Crops ◽

Oil Palm ◽

Vegetation Type ◽

Chemical Fertilizer ◽

Insect Species ◽

Herbicide Application ◽

Abundance Patterns ◽

Predatory Insects ◽

Abundance Fluctuations

Microhabitats capacity to support insect species diversity and persistence were evaluated implementing solitary parasitoids and predatory insects according to different phases of herbicide and chemical fertilizer applications. Two species of the genus Xanthopimpla (Ichneumonidae) and one species of the genus Pompilus (Pompilidae) showed relationships on vegetation-type microhabitats, notably natural weeds, leguminous cover crops, and the beneficial plant Turnera subulata, while two species of the genus Evania (Evaniidae) showed relationships with chipped oil palm trunks. One species from the genus Odontomachus (Formicidae) as an exclusive predatory ant was related to both chipped oil palm trunks and the beneficial plant T. subulata. Xanthopimpla parasitoids exhibited abundance fluctuations difference around natural weeds during herbicide application phases between three- and six-years old oil palm stands, with decreased and increased abundance patterns of the former and the latter, respectively. 18 years old oil palm stand showed increased abundance patterns only along with the different phases of chemical fertilizer applications. The importance of natural weeds diversity, restrictions of leguminous cover crops, frequency of herbicide applications, and the arrangements between beneficial plants and wood-based microhabitats that benefited insect parasitoids and predators were discussed.

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Spatial Distribution of Insect Diversity in Selected Locations within Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria, Ibadan, Nigeria

Journal of Applied Sciences and Environmental Management ◽

10.4314/jasem.v25i7.21 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (7) ◽

pp. 1249-1255

Author(s):

O.A. Aina-Oduntan ◽

Q.A. Onilude ◽

J.A. George-Onaho ◽

A.I. Woghiren ◽

O.R. Jeminiwa

Keyword(s):

Species Diversity ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Habitat Modification ◽

Insect Species ◽

Line Transect ◽

Microsoft Excel ◽

Forestry Research ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Ibadan Nigeria ◽

Research Institute

With the increase in the rate of tree removal and construction of buildings within the Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria premises, there has been concomitant rise in habitat modification. These changes in habitat composition affect the insect population. This study therefore investigated the insect species diversity and abundance within some selected locations within FRIN with the view to determining different insect species available in FRIN premises. Sweep nets were used to trap the insects along a predetermined line transect. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel 2007 and Paleontological Statistics were used for the data analysis. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and species diversity and composition were all assessed. A total number of 1073 individual insects belonging to 6 orders, 27 families and 34 species were recorded across the three locations. Out of this, Order Lepidoptera had the highest relative abundance (53%), followed by Coleoptera (22%), then by Hymenoptera, Hemiptera, Heteroptera and Diptera with 10%, 9%, 4% and 2% relative abundance respectively. The result of ANOVA showed that there was no significant difference in species composition/richness across the locations at probability level of 5%. The insect species diversity, evenness and richness also varied across the locations. This study therefore, brings to the fore the diversity and abundance of insects within FRIN premises and highlighted the need for a more intensive study by the entomology section and for sustainable actions to be taken in conserving beneficial rare species while, managing the abundant pestiferous ones.

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Beehives possess their own distinct microbiomes

10.1101/2021.08.25.457643 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lorenzo Santorelli ◽

Toby Wilkinson ◽

Ronke Abdulmalik ◽

Yuma Rai ◽

Christopher J. Creevey ◽

...

Keyword(s):

16S Rdna ◽

Honey Bees ◽

Plant Material ◽

Surrounding Environment ◽

Insect Pollinators ◽

Tremendous Amount ◽

Environmental Bacteria ◽

Local Plants ◽

Bacterial Groups ◽

Different Parts

AbstractHoney bees use plant material to manufacture their own food. These insect pollinators visit flowers repeatedly to collect nectar and pollen, which are shared with other hive bees to produce honey and beebread. While producing these products, beehives accumulate a tremendous amount of microbes, including bacteria that derive from plants and different parts of the honey bees’ body. In this study, we conducted 16S rDNA metataxonomic analysis on honey and beebread samples that were collected from 15 beehives in the southeast of England in order to quantify the bacteria associated with beehives. The results highlighted that honeybee products carry a significant variety of bacterial groups that comprise bee commensals, environmental bacteria and pathogens of plants and animals. Remarkably, this bacterial diversity differs amongst the beehives, suggesting a defined fingerprint that is affected, not only by the nectar and pollen gathered from local plants, but also from other environmental sources. In summary, our results show that every hive possesses their own distinct microbiome, and that honeybee products are valuable indicators of the bacteria present in the beehives and their surrounding environment.

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